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Cricket PlayersSuggestion to take players out of IPL to prepare for Tests not a good one
A more pragmatic plan would be to start creating a pool of players suited best for Test cricket and not such ‘hot property’ in the IPL
I don’t think it’s fair to be harsh on India for losing to Australia in the WTC final, all credible previews of the match had put Australia as firm favourites.
Ian Chappell had given Australia only a slim advantage and that was out of his respect to the Indian bowling led by Mohammed Shami.
But once India had Umesh and Shardul in their five-man bowling attack with Jadeja as the lone spinner, India were weaker even before the first ball was bowled.
As it turned out, it was actually the Indian bowling, India’s stronger suit, that let India down, letting Australia get to 361 for 4 after being 76 for 3 was where India lost the Test. On Day 1.
A couple of things here. One, poor Shami looked jaded and only in one spell did I see him run full tilt.
India’s seam attack had an average speed of 135. The last time they were in England, India’s pace attack was quicker and had actually outpaced England’s seam attack.
But the game-changer in the WTC final was how Steve Smith and Travis Head batted against the Indian seamers. They both played a lot off the back foot and late too, right under their noses. Thereby getting the advantage of playing square of the wicket a lot.
When you play late, you obviously get more time and more width to nudge the ball around for ones and twos -- options that are greatly limited if you plant your front foot down the pitch. Strangely, it is an advantage Virat Kohli has forsaken by playing every ball off the front foot while standing well outside the crease.
Kohli has always been a batter more inclined to get onto the front foot but when the ball was short he would pull his body weight back and play the ball closer to the batting crease, the pull shot was his big ‘go to’ shot then.
Remember how he magnificently kept pulling Mitchell Johnson and Co in 2014 when he got 4 hundreds in the five-match series. A batter who drives off the front foot and then also pulls is a nightmare for any bowler. Now, Virat only drives off the front foot. The pull shot has simply disappeared.
Virat’s great attribute is his mental and physical prowess and all that is in pretty good shape still. But for a few years now, I have felt, he can make his life so much easier by going back to the way (in terms of technique) he played earlier in his career when he played a lot more from inside the crease.
Against seamers these days, there isn’t one ball that he plays when both his feet are not outside the front crease.
The ball to Virat from Mitchell Starc in the first innings that kicked up was between short and halfway length on the pitch map and Virat was on the front foot with both his feet outside the batting crease. He could have managed that ball better if he was on the back foot.
Interestingly, the new version of Rahane we saw in Oval was a Rahane playing the ball late and waiting more on the back foot rather than lunging forward like he used to just before he was dropped from the Test side.
Cricket's direction
Post India’s loss, there has been a lot of talk about how we as a nation seem to be obsessed with individuals and don’t quite look at cricket as a team sport. True that, but here’s the thing, it does not matter if the fans or media are fixated on certain individuals, because ultimately it’s the team management and selectors who have the power to take Indian cricket in the right direction.
These men with influence that can change the course of Indian cricket must stay insulated from the ‘outside noise’ and take calls based only on merit. Make it a level playing field when it comes to giving opportunities and backing talent no matter the fanfare around a couple of players.
If this is done right, it will take Indian cricket to the next level. So what’s the future of India’s Test cricket? And how must India plan for it considering the cricketing landscape today? Vis-a-vis IPL etc.
I find the suggestion to take players out of IPL to prepare for Tests not a particularly good one.
The main beauty of the IPL is the high stakes involved, and the huge investment the owners make in the players and that is why the owners must never be shortchanged. The IPL will lose its charm if this was to happen.
Also, let’s face it, the IPL and private leagues around the world are the future, but our dear old Test Cricket isn’t.
But we must still make every effort possible to keep it alive, relevant in today’s world and try and excel at it.
A more pragmatic plan would be to start creating a pool of players suited best for Test cricket and not such ‘hot property’ in the IPL. Such players would be mostly available, be injury and fatigue-free and keen to play a Test match.
With due respect to Shami, a fresh and highly-energetic fast bowler, albeit less in stature and skills, would have added more value in Oval than Shami.
Just like Scott Boland did for Australia.
It may not be the no 1 format today but even after 146 years of existence, we see how Test match performances resonate more and linger in our memories longer than T20 cricket. So we can’t turn our back on Test cricket, yet.
What’s more, it also reflects the actual health of the sport in a country.
